Adjust
by LavenderSkies
Summary: Continuation to "Redefine". Realizing their feelings was one thing, figuring out how it works is another. A collection of vignettes about life with the Vongola now that Cloud and Mist had come together. Everyone will have to adjust...
1. Proof

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is the property of Amano Akira.

* * *

**Important Note: **This collection of vignettes serves as a continuation of my story "Redefine". It contains spoilers for and makes references to that story, so you may want to read that first. However, it's probably understandable for the most part even if you haven't read the other one.

To returning friends, welcome back! Hope you'll like these as well…

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**First Adjustment: Proof**

"Kyouya, do you have a minute?"

Two heads leaned out of a doorway just in time to see an apathetic looking Cloud Guardian wordlessly walking towards the waiting Mist Guardian at the end of the hallway. Her smile sweetened just barely noticeably as the raven-haired man reached her side, and she began speaking to him as the pair walked off together.

Gokudera and Yamamoto retrieved their heads from the hallway and continued into the lounge for that cup of morning coffee they were on their way to get before they got distracted by that little scene.

Hibari and Chrome.

Nobody had really said anything or asked any questions about it, at least not openly. But in all likelihood…probably _everybody_ had been wondering about it these days. About Cloud and Mist.

"Something is definitely up with those two," the Storm Guardian grumbled as he poured himself a cup of the caffeinated drink.

"They're probably together now," the Rain Guardian just blurted. He was likely the only one in the Family who could voice that particular opinion so readily, and he did it with a grin, no less.

Gokudera couldn't actually refute that claim. In fact, all evidence seemed to point to that very conclusion. Even his own brain was inclined to think so. But still… "It's ludicrous."

There were just so many things wrong with that idea. First of all, just saying that Hibari was together with _anything_ for whatever reason was already a defiance of nature all on its own. That guy was the epitome of aloofness. He didn't _do_ togetherness. There was no _together_ where Hibari Kyouya was concerned, unless one was talking about his fluffy yellow bird.

If Gokudera hadn't known Hibari and Chrome for over eight years, he might have been able to take it all at face value and not question the things he was seeing. But he _had_ known Hibari and Chrome for over eight years, and he knew how they used to be around each other for the span of all eight of those years. The change was so sudden and drastic that it made absolutely no sense to him. Seriously. What the _hell_ happened?

"Something must have happened during the last mission," Yamamoto said with a light shrug as though he had read the other man's mind. "They were practically joined at the hip those couple of weeks."

Right. The mission that had taken down the Gesso Family and landed Byakuran and his Funeral Wreaths in the Vendicare Prison. Anyone with eyes would have noticed that that had been the turning point. Before, Chrome used to avoid Hibari as much as humanly possible, and Hibari had more or less ignored Chrome's existence as well. After the mission, however, there was suddenly this casual, borderline intimate atmosphere between them.

Still, that wasn't enough. "I need proof," Gokudera finally said.

"She calls him Kyouya," the Rain Guardian pointed out in a tone that said 'what more proof do you need?'

Gokudera had to admit that the name thing was a big one, because Dino had always been the only person to call Hibari by his given name. Most tended to be of the opinion that it was a testament to the Cavallone's idiocy more than anything else. But still… "That's just really strong evidence. It's not proof."

"Isn't that good enough?" the swordsman inquired conversationally as he stirred the cream and sugar into his coffee. "I mean, is there some reason why you have to know very definitely one way or the other?" He was honestly curious.

The silver-haired man took a sip out of his steaming cup as they made their way over to a small table. "Think of it as intel. It's good information to have in the back of our minds so we can act accordingly."

Yamamoto eased himself into a lounge chair. "…act accordingly," he repeated dubiously, not entirely sure that he was following.

Gokudera almost rolled his eyes. "For starters, if they are…you know…together," the idea was so out there it was even awkward to say, "then you might wanna consider toning down on those overly friendly brotherly hugs of yours."

Yamamoto blinked. "What's wrong with friendly hugs? And as you said, they're brotherly." He flashed his famous boyish grin.

"Same difference," the Storm Guardian deadpanned.

"Then, what? You're gonna stop kissing her?"

Gukudera almost choked on his coffee. "_I_ don't kiss her. _She_ kisses _me_!" Why can't he get that right? "And they're sisterly kisses!"

"Same difference," Yamamoto returned with an amused half smile.

Gokudera grumbled. The baseball idiot was probably right. In the eyes of a territorial skylark, they'd all be nothing more than a bunch of laughing hyenas waiting to move in on his turf at the first opportunity.

"So, why don't you just ask?" Yamamoto suggested. "I mean ask Chrome, of course." Because one wouldn't walk up to Hibari Kyouya and ask 'hey, are you in some kind of relationship?' You just wouldn't.

Gokudera clicked his tongue. "I can't."

"Why?"

"…"

Yamamoto raised a brow. "Are you worried?"

Gokudera's brows knotted in a frown. "No."

"Chrome's a big girl. She can take care of herself. And Hibari's…dependable."

"In protecting her from physical harm? Yes. But he's lacking in the communications department and practically disabled in the emotional one," the silver-haired man replied dryly.

"So, you _are_ worried," the Rain Guardian noted with a chuckle.

Gokudera heaved an agitated sigh. He was more concerned about what reaction he would give Chrome if she were to tell him yes, because right now he couldn't say for sure if he thought Hibari was a good choice. He probably won't be able to act all supportive about it.

"Fine, then." Yamamoto said, veering course to cut his friend a break. "Have you seen them kiss? That should count as definite proof, right?"

"No, and I don't think I want to," Gokudera stated as he tried desperately to prevent the mental image from coagulating in his mind. "The shock of seeing Hibari kissing someone would equate to the shock of catching somebody having sex on the floor. I don't think I can take it."

Yamamoto could only laugh. "I can't help you then." He was out of suggestions.

"Don't worry. I got it covered," Gokudera began with a smirk. "It would be suspicious and awkward if we go poking around since we've known Chrome forever, and she'd know we were up to something. But if it was a new guy on the job asking her questions, then it would just seem like the new guy was curious and trying to befriend her."

Yamamoto quirked a brow. "When you say new guy…do you mean…?"

"Yep," Gokudera confirmed. "Robo-B is on the case."

* * *

When he heard the door, he closed the book he was reading and stood up from his chair, his hands folding behind his back. "Good morning, Chrome senpai."

The Mist Guardian's heart rate skyrocketed when she saw the light-haired man standing in her office. Then she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It was apparently going to take a bit more practice to not start at the sight of Byakuran's face. "Good morning, Ghost. You're here early again."

"I'm used to waking up early. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I thought I'd just wait for you here," he explained. "What will our tasks be today?"

"Um…let me get settled, and I'll see what's on the agenda," she replied as she made her way to her desk.

He nodded. "All right." Seemingly satisfied with that, he sat back down in the guest chair across the desk from her and continued to read his book, awaiting further directions from her.

Chrome heaved a silent breath, once again wondering about her predicament. After the Gesso mission, which had all the Guardians headed out in different directions, she and Hibari had taken a bit of a detour before returning to Namimori. They had retrieved Mukuro from Vendicare Prison then spent some time at Dino's place during Mukuro's recuperation. As a result, they had been the last ones to make it home. By then, Ghost was already a part of the team.

Formerly the Gesso Family's Thunder Funeral Wreath, Ghost was the only one who had escaped the fate of Vendicare, because Tsuna had decided to take him in. It had been quite a shock, not because he used to be their enemy, but because he was the clone of the fallen Gesso leader and therefore looked exactly the same as Byakuran. However, that was about where their similarities ended. Personality wise, Ghost was nothing like Byakuran. He seemed straightforward and lacked Byakuran's flippant attitude. Apparently, he'd had little contact with the outside world but was well educated in various subjects. Sometimes he even spoke like a textbook. Gokudera liked to call him 'Robo-Byakuran'. It wasn't the most flattering nickname, but Chrome could see where he had gotten it from.

She didn't have any problems with there being a new member in the Family until, three days after her return from Italy, her favorite Storm Guardian decided to assign Ghost as her assistant, saying that it would help him learn how they did things around here if he could just follow someone around. Since she was apparently gentle, levelheaded, and patient, she was the most suitable one to take on this task. That was still all fine and good. She didn't really mind showing Ghost the ropes. However, she suspected that this wasn't the only reason Gokudera had assigned the ex-Funeral Wreath to her.

Just then, her phone rang. "Hello?" She smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. And you?... Um, no, I can't do lunch today. Sorry…. How about tomorrow?... Okay. That sounds good. See you then… Bye." She hung up.

Ghost looked up from his book. "May I ask who that was on the phone?"

Here it was. The thing that was making her uncomfortable: the questions. "Just Haru."

"I see." A moment's pause. "Are you unable to have lunch with Haru-san because you have a previous engagement with someone else?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Maybe. Why do you want to know?"

He stared at her for a few seconds as though trying to decide his best course of action. "I'm not at liberty to say."

When she kept getting questions and responses like these, it was hard not to be suspicious. Whenever she received phone calls, he would ask her who it was. If she was meeting with someone, he would ask whom with. At the end of the day, he would ask if she had evening plans with anybody. But whenever she would ask him why he wanted to know, he would basically _tell_ _her_ that he can't tell her. Ghost obviously had no talent in the art of lying, nor did he understand the ways of subtlety. If he wasn't so naïve about it, she probably would have gotten fed up long ago, and they were still only in the first week of this arrangement.

Her phone rang again. "Hello?... Yes, he is… Now?... Sort of. There's something I'd like to take care of first… It won't take long. We'll be there within the hour… Okay. Bye." She hung up.

"May I ask—"

"Before I tell you," Chrome interjected, "there's something I need to discuss with you first."

He blinked. "All right."

She folded her hands on her desk and leaned forward, giving him a serious look. "This is just between you and me. I need you to be honest and tell me everything. What did Hayato ask you to do when he assigned you to be my assistant?"

He gave her a blank stare as though trying to weigh his options on how to proceed.

She tried again. "He must have given you some kind of mission, right?"

He heaved a small breath of resignation. "So, you can tell."

She gave a small wince. "Yes."

"Then I guess I've failed."

"What did he want you to do?" she repeated.

Since she had already figured it out, he might as well just tell her. He sighed once more, feeling somewhat dispirited. "I'm supposed to watch for and report any and all interaction you may have with Hibari senpai."

That was pretty much what she had thought. "So, he asked you to spy on me, and you just said…okay?"

"Gokudera senpai said I was too much of an open book, and this exercise will be good training," he informed.

The Mist Guardian heaved an internal sigh. Basically, the poor guy was being manipulated. Why would he need training for this sort of thing anyway? He was obviously not suited for any espionage type of missions. His talents would be better used elsewhere, and their boss's right hand man knew it.

"What did I do wrong?" He didn't seem quite so down anymore. He just wanted to analyze his faults so he could improve on them next time.

In the back of her mind, Chrome's answer was 'everything', but she wasn't going to crush his outlook. "Well, when Hayato gave you the mission, he probably told you to just observe and report, not ask a whole bunch of questions, right?"

"He said I should casually ask questions during conversation," Ghost replied.

"But when you repeatedly ask the same questions over and over again, it's no longer casual and starts to become something more like an interrogation. It feels unnatural and out of place," she explained.

"Point taken," he said after mulling it over.

"You also have to be patient," she added. "You may not get results right away, but you can't force the issue or you'll risk exposure."

He smiled slightly. So, she noticed that as well. He should have known better than to think he had any chance of deceiving a master of deception. "What should I do? Should I tell Gokudera senpai the mission failed?"

"No, you can just keep doing what you're doing for now." It won't last much longer anyway.

"I see. In that case, may I ask who that was on the phone?" he inquired, going back to information gathering mode.

She chuckled lightly at his response. "You finally have something to report. That was Kyouya," she divulged. "I told him we'll be there shortly. He wants to see you."

His brows rose in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes. The Foundation already has quite a bit of intel on the Gesso Family, but he wants to see if there's anything you can add," she began. "In particular, he would like to know who the members in Byakuran's team of scientists and engineers were."

It only took him a second to process what that meant. "You're concerned about an information leak on the Gesso's technological research and inventions." Byakuran had been developing some pretty advanced and dangerous technology, after all. He himself was an example.

Chrome smiled. He was quick to understand when things were logical. "Yes." Although the Gesso Family no longer existed and all members had disbanded after the defeat of Byakuran and his Funeral Wreaths, it didn't mean that those of the research team would simply forget the projects they'd worked on. Even though Gokudera had destroyed all records at every Gesso base, there was no guarantee that nobody had made a copy of their research material and saved it elsewhere. In fact, it was highly unlikely.

The Vongola Decimo's Family had spent the past eight years keeping tabs on Byakuran, trying to make sure that what had happened in that alternate future world would not in some way repeat itself in this one. Now that that threat was over, their new mission was to ensure that no one else could pick up where Byakuran had left off.

Ghost nodded. "I understand." He had spent his entire life, the whole two and a half years of it, in the Gesso's lab. If anybody knew who frequented that place, it would be him. However, he did have one concern. "Will I be working with Hibari senpai directly?"

Chrome blinked. "Would that be a problem?"

"Tsunayoshi-sama had warned me about him," he said, bluntly honest. Basically, what he got from the warning was: don't go near the guy. Now that it looked like that won't be possible, he required further counsel.

"Kyouya doesn't—" She caught herself before she could finish. She was about to say that he 'doesn't bite', but that wouldn't be entirely true… In fact, it would be entirely false.

Ghost watched her frozen form with her mouth half-open, her words hanging. "I find your hesitation troubling."

His voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she opted for a safer reply. "You'll likely be working with Kusakabe-san instead."

"…I see." Her response wasn't very reassuring.

"Okay, then, let's go," Chrome said as she rose to her feet. "If we're late, Kyouya might want to bite us to death."

"I thought that the tonfa was Hibari senpai's primary weapon of choice," Ghost voiced as he followed the Mist Guardian to the door, somewhat bemused. "I can't imagine attacking with his teeth to be very effective…or sanitary."

She laughed lightly as she opened the door, thoroughly amused. "First rule of survival when it comes to dealing with Kyouya: never question his use of animal kingdom terminology," she imparted. "It'll decrease your chances of being bitten to death."

"I will…keep that in mind," he replied despite feeling completely confused.

"Don't worry," she said with an encouraging smile that he didn't find particularly encouraging. "You'll learn."

* * *

It was well into the evening when the gate separating the Foundation from the Vongola's main base opened, revealing Hibari, Kusakabe, Chrome, and Ghost.

The Cloud Guardian looked blandly to the former Thunder Funeral Wreath. "Report to Tetsu tomorrow morning. Same time."

"Of course," the light-haired man replied dutifully.

Cloud and Mist shared a wordless parting glance. Then Chrome and Ghost started making their way back to her office.

"I think he's warming up to you," The Mist Guardian commented supportively.

"I'm not convinced," Ghost replied as he gingerly touched his bandaged left cheek where his face was swelling and bruising from a well placed tonfa strike. The first thing that Hibari had done when they had arrived that morning was take him down to one of the training rooms on the lower levels for an all out fight. He couldn't consider it a sparring match no matter how he looked at it. "He fought like he was aiming to kill."

"And that says something. He wouldn't have bothered if he didn't think it was worth his time," she explained.

"He wishes to kill the people he likes?" he inquired with a perplexed frown.

"No!" she replied hastily. It was difficult trying to explain Hibari to someone else when she was only just beginning to figure him out herself.

"Is this why Gokudera senpai wants me to keep track of your contact with Hibari senpai?" he asked. Was Hibari some sort of potential danger to her?

She gasped. "That reminds me! Wait right here." Without answering his question, she whirled around and headed back in the other direction. "Kyouya, wait!"

The look in her eye seemed to suggest that she had something important to say, so the raven-haired man stepped forward to meet her half way. And Kusakabe, being the smart man that he was, did not follow. That, however, did not mean he wasn't curiously watchful. After all, just like everyone else, he had been wondering about Cloud and Mist as well.

At the other end of the hallway, Ghost snapped a photo with his phone the moment the two Guardians met up, attached it to a message, and sent it off to the Storm Guardian. Chrome did tell him to continue with his mission, didn't she?

Chrome looked up at Hibari, playing with her fingers nervously, wondering how best to broach this subject. "Um…I was wondering if we should maybe…make some kind of…formal announcement." True, they weren't purposely trying to hide anything, but they weren't the most outwardly affectionate people in the world either. So, she could kind of see why people were wondering.

"Announcement." He already didn't like the way that sounded.

"Yeah…about us," she clarified.

For a brief moment, he simply looked at her. It was still odd to him that there was an 'us'. The concept was new and unfamiliar. "I feel no obligation to explain anything to anyone."

She almost rolled her eye at that expected response. "I know. It's just to clear up the weird atmosphere that's been building up since we got back from Italy."

"Hmm." It was a noncommittal sound that told her he didn't think it was necessary. "If you feel the need, you can do it yourself. Do not involve me." Not even in a million years could he picture himself doing something like what she was suggesting. Establishing an 'us' was one thing. Having to formally declare that 'us' was unacceptable as well as a waste of time.

She heaved a sigh. "It's not that I feel the need to, I'm just feeling a lot of pressure. You can't honestly tell me that you haven't noticed how everybody's been watching us for some kind of sign or something."

No, he knew exactly what she was talking about. In fact, they seemed to be attracting an audience at that very moment.

After receiving the message from Ghost, Gokudera had rushed to the scene at the speed of light with Lambo and I-Pin, who happened to be with him when he got the message, in tow. Yamamoto, having received the forwarded message from Gokudera, had also shown up. Even Ryouhei was there, because Yamamoto had sent him a message saying there was an impromptu party down here.

They were trying to observe discretely but failing miserably. While Gokudera was pretending to check messages on his phone, Lambo and I-Pin were peeking out from some random doorway. While Ryouhei was pretending to groom a potted plant that was sitting in the hallway, Yamamoto simply leaned nonchalantly against the wall and observed openly.

If Chrome didn't know she was the center of their attention, she would have laughed. "Actually, I'm not really sure how to go about it. I…don't really look forward to having to bring it up in conversation." It would be awkward and she would have to answer a ton of questions that were sure to follow. "Someone is bound to ask how it happened, and I find it hard to explain that we sort of bonded over a couple of unconventional first aid sessions."

He gave her an amused half smirk. "Was that what happened?"

She could feel her cheeks flushing from the memory. "Well, there was also the property destroying incident, but I don't think Hayato would appreciate the details on how that particular hotel bill got so high." When he didn't respond, she tilted her head slightly. "Well, what would _you_ say?"

"Nothing," he told her with no hesitation.

She deflated. "You're not being helpful," she voiced, beginning to get somewhat agitated.

"You want me to be helpful," he deadpanned. In these matters?

"I wouldn't be discussing this with you otherwise," she returned equally flatly. "And if you can't think of anything, then I'm going to have to ask Muku—"

Before Chrome could complete that particular thought, Hibari grasped onto her tie and pulled her closer until her lips met his in a firm but lingering kiss. It was really more a statement than a real show of affection. Then he pulled back with slightly raised brows. "Problem solved?"

Blushing from his unexpected solution, she took a glance at the various wide eyes and dropped jaws all around. "…I guess that's one way to do it."

"You owe me," he told her, his eyes teasing.

She smiled, regaining her composure. "Dinner at my place tomorrow night?"

He considered her offer. "Fine."

"Then could you do me another favor while you're at it?" she asked.

He raised a questioning brow.

"Mind if I leave from the Foundation side of the base?" Going back the other way would be like walking into a storm…or a pack of wolves.

"That depends," he said impassively. "What will you be offering for tomorrow's dinner?"

She actually _did_ roll her eye this time as she fought to suppress the laughter that was threatening to escape. "I know you're a hardcore carnivore. Rest assured, there's going to be meat."

The Cloud Guardian smirked slightly before turning to lead the way. "Do as you like."

Her smile widening, she followed behind him.

As the pair walked past him, Kusakabe tried to withhold his tears of joy. Finally, there was a glimmer of hope that, somewhere down the road, his beloved Kyou-san may actually have descendants to carry on his greatness!

Meanwhile, at the other end of the hallway, Ryouhei accidentally pulled out too many leaves from the poor plant in his excitement. "THEY'RE TOGETHER TO THE EXTREME!"

Beside him, Yamamoto simply laughed. "Looks like we were right."

Gokudera hissed with disbelief and a certain level of horror in his eyes. "…sex on the floor…"

To that, Ghost cocked his head. "That's incorrect, Gokudera senpai. In order to have sex on the floor, it would require the shedding of clothing in order to expose the male and female genitalia required for sexual interc—"

The Storm Guardian practically tackled the ex-Funeral Wreath to the floor trying to slap a hand over his mouth. "Holy shit! What the _hell_ kinda knowledge have they been feeding you in those Gesso labs?!" This wasn't even information that could be used for combat, technological research, or _anything_!

Lambo, however, perked up. "Wait, Gokudera-shi! I wanna hear what he has to say!" For a thirteen-year-old ladies' man in training, this topic was high priority, after all.

"Shut up!" the silver-haired man hollered with a reprimanding glare. It was precisely because Lambo and I-Pin were present that he had to stop the walking textbook from reciting too much information.

By now, the Rain Guardian was already laughing himself into tears.

Further down the hall, behind the ruckus and around the corner, the Vongola Decimo stood chuckling softly with his back leaning casually against the wall. With a newly confirmed couple on top of the addition of a new member, there was definitely going to be changes to the Family's dynamics.

"Looks like there're things we're going to have to get used to around here," said the amused Arcobaleno standing beside him.

Tsuna smiled. "Ah."

They were all going to have to adjust.

* * *

A/N: And that's the first one. There's a lot of stuff here devoted to set up, so the actual interaction between Hibari and Chrome was not that long in this chapter.

The part about them wanting to track down the Gesso researchers is also background/setting stuff. Although this may come up every now and then, the intention is not to detail out how they're going to go about doing this. It's more to establish that, as a Family, this is their new long term mission.

Ghost refers to all of the Guardians as 'senpai'…including Lambo. LOL! Brief explanation, just in case: usually, you would refer to someone as a senpai if they have seniority over you. Like someone who came before you in a school, company, or organization.

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!


	2. Chocolates

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is the property of Amano Akira.

* * *

**Second Adjustment: Chocolates**

(Day before Valentine's Day)

As Chrome stepped into the designated desserts café, she scanned the establishment. Spotting the two young women waving at her, she smiled and went to join them at their table. "Sorry for being late," she apologized as she pulled out a chair. However, before she could even properly settle into it, she was already being assaulted by her companions' exuberance.

"Chrome-chan! Let's make Valentine's Day chocolates together!" Haru and Kyoko chorused with wide grins on their faces.

Ill prepared for that unexpected greeting, all Chrome could manage to say was, "Huh?"

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"And we thought that this year you might want to make chocolates with us!" Haru finished.

The Mist Guardian repeated her intelligent response. "Huh?"

Haru rolled her eyes. "For Hibari-san!" she said in a why-are-you-so-slow-today tone of voice.

It still took Chrome a few seconds before she was able to find her words. "…oh." Valentine's Day had never even crossed her mind, let alone celebrating it. And…making chocolates for Hibari The-Word-Love-is-Not-in-My-Vocabulary Kyouya? Should she laugh? "I…don't think that's a good idea."

"Hahi? Why not?" Haru asked with disbelief in her eyes. "It'll be a great way to show him that you care about him!"

Chrome was more inclined to think that it would be a great way to agitate him instead.

"And it'll be fun!" Kyoko added. "I think he'll be happy," she said, smiling sweetly.

Chrome wasn't so sure about that.

"I think he'll be surprised!" Haru voiced excitedly.

Oh, he'd be surprised, all right. Just not in the way they were thinking. These two obviously had no idea how hazardous and potentially detrimental it was to do what they were suggesting. She heaved a small sigh. "I think he'll bite me to death."

The uncertain glance that her friends shared at her unenthusiastic reply didn't go unnoticed. She'd hate to disappoint them, especially since it seemed like they were really looking forward to having her participate. Besides, regardless of what might happen afterwards, at the very least, the chocolate making part would be fun. So, she put a smile on her lips. "Okay. Let's do it."

Today was as good a day as any to tempt fate.

* * *

(Kyoko's house, later that evening)

With a cheerful smile, Kyoko presented the heart-shaped milk and white chocolates that she made. "Ta-da!"

"Those look great!" Haru commented. "I bet Tsuna-san will love them! Now, feast your eyes on Haru's masterpiece!" she exclaimed as she proudly showed off her skull-shaped chocolates, especially tailored for the Vongola Decimo's one and only Storm Guardian.

"I'm sure Gokudera-kun definitely won't mistake these for anything else this time," Kyoko said with a light laugh.

Haru laughed along with her as she tried not to blush. The alien-shaped chocolates she had made last year didn't turn out quite as well as she had hoped, and Gokudera had thought that they were voodoo dolls instead.

Hoping to move the conversation away from herself, Haru turned to Chrome. "How did yours turn out, Chrome-chan?" When she saw what was sitting on the counter in front of the Mist Guardian, she wasn't sure what expression she should make. "Wh…what's that?"

Kyoko took a look and started giggling. "I think it's perfect."

Once again, Chrome sighed. "I still think he's going to bite me to death."

* * *

(Valentine's Day)

Standing at the bar counter in one of the Vongola underground base's many lounges, Hibari blinked expressionlessly at the plate sitting before him with a big slab of…_something_ on it. The mysterious substance was in the shape and size of a T-bone steak, but it was very obviously _not_ a steak. After scrutinizing it for a length of time he deemed appropriate, he looked up at Chrome, his eyes demanding an explanation.

"It's a steak," she told him.

"What do you take me for?" He'd been eating steak for twenty some odd years, and this was definitely not it.

"Well, it's made of chocolate," she said as she tried not to fidget. This already wasn't getting off to a very good start.

He could only think of one word. "Why?"

"I'm supposed to give you chocolate," she explained, silently proud of the calmness in her voice. "And since you like steak, it's in the shape of a steak."

"But it's not steak." He couldn't grasp this nonsense.

"I know!" she said, her agitation beginning to seep through.

"Does it taste like steak?" he questioned blandly.

"What? No!" She grimaced at the thought, unable to imagine steak-flavored chocolate. "It just _looks_ like steak."

He narrowed his eyes minutely. "Are you mocking me?" She always seemed to enjoy making fun of his carnivorous ways.

"No!" she repeated, exasperated and more than just a little embarrassed. How did this turn into an interrogation session?

"Then why give me a fake steak?" If she was sincere, then she should just give him a real one, right?

She placed a hand to her forehead, her fingers grabbing her temples, heaving a small breath before trying to explain again. "Because I'm supposed to give you chocolate, not steak."

"But I don't like chocolate," he countered. What was the point of giving him something he didn't like that imitated the appearance of something he liked?

"I know," she said, clearly frustrated now. "But that's the tradition!"

"What tradition?"

"Valent—" She gasped and covered her lips at her slip. Well…no use in avoiding it now. She winced and averted her eye. "Valentine's Day." He was _not_ going to take it well.

Cloud stared at Mist for a full minute. "…You bought me chocolates for V…" He was having trouble saying it. "…for Valentine's Day?" Was she trying to drag him into celebrating the most herbivorous of herbivorous holidays?

"No," she said bluntly. "I _made_ it." Nobody in their right mind would sell steak-shaped chocolates, because nobody in their right mind would _buy_ steak-shaped chocolates… Good heavens! What the _heck_ was she thinking, making a huge slab of chocolate steak?!

He considered her for a moment. "Hm." He had this undecided look on his features like he wasn't sure how he should react.

"Is this the part where you tell me you'll bite me to death?" she inquired, resigning to her fate.

"That depends," he said after his deliberation.

"Eh?" That was unexpected. She didn't get an instant death sentence?

"Did you make anyone else fake steak?"

"No." Who'd want it? And she wished he'd stop calling it that. "I didn't make anyone else fake anything."

"Did you purchase anyone else anything?"

At that point, she looked up, and it was her turn to scrutinize him. Then she smiled when she realized what he was trying to confirm. "No. I didn't buy, make, or give anyone else anything. In fact, this is the first time I'm giving anyone anything for Valentine's Day."

"Hm," he said again as he factored in the new information.

"So…are you going to eat it?" she ventured.

He once again looked to the item in question. "No." How was he supposed to eat it? He'd look and feel like a complete fool holding a slab of steak-shaped confection to his mouth.

Chrome heaved a sigh as she picked up a knife and started cutting a piece off the chocolate. "It's not going to kill you." She put the small piece in her mouth. "Mmm…" It was heaven. She loved chocolate. "You don't know what you're missing, Kyouya." She cut off another piece and held it out to him. "Here. Just try it."

Hibari stared at it for a while. "Too much."

Mist tossed the piece into her own mouth then cut a smaller piece for Cloud.

He eyed it…then looked back up at her.

She rolled her eye, ate that piece as well, and proceeded to cut an even smaller piece for her picky Valentine.

Once again, he eyed it then simply looked back up at her.

Fed up, she placed the knife on the counter and slid it over to him. "Fine then, do it yourself."

"Fine."

Chrome's eye widened in surprise when, instead of the knife, he reached over for her. Holding her chin in his hand, he sealed his lips over hers and kissed her thoroughly as his tongue lapped up every last trace of chocolate that was in her mouth, eliciting a soft involuntary moan from her in the process. When they parted, a wry smile graced her lips even as her cheeks flushed. "So? What'd you think?"

"It's acceptable in small quantities," he replied nonchalantly with an amused glint in his eyes.

She couldn't help but chuckle. He was such an overgrown brat. "I'm not going to feed you every time."

He smirked slightly. "I believe that was a challenge."

"And if it was?" she asked cheekily.

"Then you should beware whenever you eat…fake steak," he warned.

"It's called chocolate," she corrected dryly.

"Hm." He could care less.

"So…you're not upset?" She was uncertain but hopeful.

"No."

She quirked her brows. "And…should I make you chocolates next year?" It was better to ask and be sure, right?

His eyes dropped down to her lips. "I don't mind. As long as it's not fake steak." That part really was ridiculous.

"Would you prefer I make it into a pair of tonfa?" she inquired with a mischievous smile. "Life-sized ones?"

He shot her a glare. "If you do that, I'll use them to bite you to death." She really needed to stop mocking him.

However, his threat only evoked light laughter from her. "Whatever you say, Cloud Man," she said as she cut another piece of chocolate for herself…which then prompted him to repeat his earlier actions and kiss the melted sweets out of her mouth.

When he pulled away, she looked up at him, furrowing her brows with a bit of concern. "Wait…you're not serious about that challenge thing, are you?" Not that she was complaining about being kissed in such an amazing way, but chocolate was an indispensably important part of her life, and she couldn't have him stealing it away from her every time. That would be a problem. Did she have to start hiding from him whenever she just wanted to eat some chocolate?

Hibari smirked as he walked away. "I wonder."

For a moment, she just watched him go with slacked jaws before her feet finally started moving to follow. "Wait, Kyouya! This is important!" She wasn't going to let him 'I wonder' his way out of this one, and she wasn't going to be satisfied until she got a straight answer from him.

Meanwhile, the slab of steak-shaped chocolate was left on the counter, forgotten.

* * *

(Next day)

The moment he stepped into the lounge, the Storm Guardian caught sight of the lonely but very eye-catching slab of chocolate sitting on the counter and scowled with confusion. "What the hell is this?"

Following his line of sight, Haru perked up. "Oh! That's Chrome-chan's Valentine's Day gift for Hibari-san!"

Gokudera raised his brows. _Was she feeling suicidal?_

"But…what's it doing here?" the brunette wondered out loud. Then she gasped as her hands flew to cover her lips. "…Did he reject it?"

The silver-haired man thought to himself that if _he_ received something like that, he'd reject it, too. Was Chrome trying to give Hibari a heart attack? Because eating a chunk of chocolate that size could do it to a guy.

That was when, as if summoned, the Mist Guardian entered.

Haru immediately pounced. "Chrome-chan! What happened yesterday?" She held up the plate with a concerned expression on her face. "Did you give it to him?"

"Oh…yes," Chrome replied blandly.

That didn't sound like a very good 'yes' to Haru. "Did he…reject it?"

Chrome had to think that one over a bit. "…not exactly?"

"Then he liked it?" Haru inquired with slight hope.

That was a hard question, too. "Um…not really?"

"Obviously," Gokudera mumbled dryly. "The thing's still sitting here."

"Well…he doesn't like chocolates," Chrome explained.

"Oh…what a waste," Haru said with sadness and pity. "Sorry, Chrome-chan. It was our idea." Now she felt bad for dragging her friend into this.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it," Chrome tried to assure. "It's not a complete waste. He'll eat it in…um…small…melted…portions."

It was not surprising that Haru had no idea what she was getting at. "Hahi?"

"Um…yeah…" Chrome flushed slightly, feeling awkward. She probably shouldn't have said that last bit, because even if it went over Haru's head… She looked over to Gokudera and immediately averted her eye upon making eye contact.

Gokudera raised a brow at Chrome's reaction and, seeing her blush coupled with the way she was biting on her lips, the meaning behind her words suddenly clicked in his mind. He grumbled as he closed his eyes and placed a hand over his forehead. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't as smart as he was. These days, he often found himself unwillingly discovering a side of Hibari Kyouya that would have been better off left undiscovered. "I did _not_ need that mental image."

* * *

A/N: I'm not really a fan of writing about Valentine's Day. I'm like Kyouya in the sense that I also think Valentine's Day is kinda herbivorous myself. LOL! But I got the idea about them arguing about the fake steak, and I couldn't stop laughing. XD So, I thought I'd share it. Hope it was able to provide you with a bit of amusement as well. Heh.

I do favor the day _after_ Valentine's Day, though…because that's when the Valentine's Day chocolates go on sale. XP

Okay, here's a side story…

* * *

**Side Story:**

(Valentine's Day)

While Hibari and Chrome were in the lounge on level five arguing about the fake steak, this was what was going on in the lounge on level seven:

She peeked into the lounge and brightened when she spotted her target standing in front of the water dispenser filling up a glass. Slipping in as quiet as a mouse, moving with the stealthy grace of a panther, she positioned herself behind her target and attacked with a jump kick, aiming for the head.

As expected, his arm came up to block, and her shin connected with his forearm instead. By the time he turned around to engage, she was already in position for her next attack. Crouched with her hands on the floor and right leg extended, she swung that leg to sweep him off his feet. However, he avoided that one as well by placing his palm atop her head and flipping over her form to the other side while somehow still managing to hold his glass of water in an upright position.

"I don't think this is the best place for sparring, I-Pin-chan," he stated honestly.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ghost-kun!" I-Pin exclaimed happily. She picked up the small red box with white ribbons she had placed on the counter and held it out to him, balanced and spinning atop her index finger.

"Valentine's Day?" Ghost repeated, taking the spinning box off her hand to inspect.

She tilted her head slightly. "Do you know what that is?"

"Yes." In theory, at least. He'd never participated before, only came across it in his reading…just like pretty much everything else he knew about.

"Well, these chocolates are for you," she said with another bright smile. She had been ecstatic when she found out that he specialized in hand to hand combat, just like her. When he had joined the Family, she had gained a sparring partner. And since he was above her skill level, she was able to learn from him as well. "It's a token of my appreciation."

"I see." He returned her smile. "Thank you."

They had relocated to sit at a coffee table when the Thunder Guardian entered the scene with a tower of red and pink boxes in his arms.

"Lambo senpai, are those all chocolates?" Ghost inquired.

"Sure are," Lambo replied with a proud grin as he plopped himself into the sofa next to the former Gesso. What could he say? The girls loved him. "Here, you want some?" He took a few off the top of his stack and placed them on the table in front of Ghost. He was feeling generous. "I'll get a nosebleed if I eat all of this anyway." Then he saw the box in Ghost's hand. "Oh, hey, you got one, too. Who from?"

"I-Pin-chan."

"WHAT?!" Lambo looked at I-Pin then glared at Ghost. "Give these back," he grumbled as he reclaimed the boxes he had just moments ago offered to the light-haired man. He didn't particularly like how his partner and best friend seemed to be so taken with the new guy.

The girl sighed with a shake of her head. "Lambo!" When the boy turned towards her, she tossed a box his way. "For you."

The youngest Guardian held the box next to the one in Ghost's hand. Seeing that his box was about half an inch bigger, he smiled gloatingly. "HA!" He pushed the previously offered and reclaimed boxes of chocolates back towards Ghost. "Here, you can have these again."

The meaning behind all of Lambo's actions in the past two minutes was completely lost on the ex-Funeral Wreath. Deciding that this was something he wouldn't understand even if he spent time thinking about it, he focused his attention on opening I-Pin's gift instead. He'd never had chocolate before. Back in the Gesso labs, his food consumption had been geared towards nutrition only, and that habit simply carried over. He didn't eat snacks or desserts.

Curiously, Ghost placed a piece of chocolate in his mouth and… "This is delicious…" He was in disbelief. He had never tasted anything this good before. He never knew that the act of food consumption could be this enjoyable. He immediately put another one into his mouth, savoring the taste.

Then the sound of laughing could be heard. That was when the trio noticed that Storm and Rain had made their entrance, each holding their own tower of boxes. As Yamamoto laughed at the sight of Ghost bingeing on chocolates, Gokudera grumbled. "Oh, great. His Byakuran genes are kicking in." The fallen Gesso leader was a sweets addict. Ghost must have inherited that trait.

"Well, at least now we know what to do with these," Yamamoto said, still chuckling as he went and unloaded his tower of chocolates onto the table in front of Ghost. "Care for more chocolates?"

"Don't say I never did anything for you, Robo-B," Gokudera voiced gruffly as he placed his tower next to Yamamoto's.

"Don't eat it all at once, or you'll get a nosebleed," Lambo imparted.

Ghost learned something today. He had thought that Valentine's Day was about love, but apparently it was about chocolates. Buying chocolates, making chocolates, giving chocolates, receiving chocolates, figuring out what to do with excessive chocolates. He wasn't complaining though, because he also discovered his love for chocolate. And after this Valentine's Day, it became tradition in the Vongola Decimo's Family to pass all extra chocolates to Ghost.

* * *

A/N: While Ghost is in the physical form of an adult, he's actually the youngest by far. So, in some weird way, he also fits in with the younger members. That's why I-Pin treats him relatively casually and refers to him with –kun instead of –san suffix. He's smarter and more powerful than Lambo, but he still considers Lambo his senpai because he's one of the Guardians. Lambo likes the elevated status (haha!), but he also feels a bit threatened by Ghost's existence…not just because I-Pin has taken a liking to him, but also because Ghost is a much more capable Thunder flame user than himself. It's kinda fun thinking about these three. It's an odd combination. LOL!

And just in case you were wondering, no, Gokudera didn't pass off Haru's chocolates to Ghost. XD

I've been off and on tinkering with a (very) short story for One Piece while Redefine was 'in production'. It's sort of coming together, so I'll concentrate on that project for now so I can get it out of my system…which means it'll probably be a while before the next update on this one. So…One Piece. Zoro and Perona, anyone? If you're interested, please keep an eye out. It's a practically nonexistent fandom, I know. LOL!

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!


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